


and they said, speak now

by The_Empress_of_Everything



Series: The Great Collection [28]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, F/M, Weddings, wedding crasher
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 21:30:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12897240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Empress_of_Everything/pseuds/The_Empress_of_Everything
Summary: It had been four years since they had seen each other. On his wedding day, would she be able to stop their bond from breaking forever, or had she lost her only chance? All she had to do was speak now.





	1. Chapter 1

Lucy ran as fast as she could.

As her footsteps thudded along to the beat of her heart, the image of Levy's face flashed in front of her eyes.

* * *

_"_ _Yeah, Erik is getting married today." Levy told her conversationally over coffee. Lucy had just returned from a four year course overseas. It made sense for the two best friends and former roommates to want to catch up, since they hadn't really been able to talk except over email._

_At Lucy's stunned gasp, Levy gives her friend an alarmed look. "Didn't you know?" Levy asked slowly. Lucy shook her head as tears filled her eyes. "It's to Jenny Realight, you remember, that really snotty girl who was a bikini model in college? I don't know if he really loves her or not, but they're getting married in a couple hours." Levy bit her lip, wondering if she should say what was on her mind. "I thought you would know, since you guys were sort of together and best friends before you left."_

_Lucy shook her head slowly, tears of shock dripping down her cheeks. "No," she choked out. "I haven't heard from Erik in three years. Not even Kinana has said something about this…"_

_Suddenly, the blonde's tears turned into harsh resolve as she stood. Levy studied her face, seeing a fierce spark of the old college Lucy. Not the new Lucy, the one who had changed after four years of diplomatic training, but the old Lucy._

_The Lucy who would never back down from a fight._

_The one who had taken a beating, literally, and laughed it off._

_There was no way she would let Erik get away from her, not this time._

_Not when she could do something about it._

_"_ _Where are you going?"_

_"I have a wedding to crash."_

* * *

After getting the directions from Levy, Lucy had wasted no time in running off to stop her old boyfriend from making a horrible mistake.

As she ran, memories of their time together flooded her mind.

* * *

_"_ _C'mon, Luce! Let's go already! Geez, woman, I thought you would've been ready hours ago, the way the Blue Shrimp was saying you were all riled up!"_

_His warm, callused hands threading through her thick, blonde hair as they talked about classes. Sometimes his head would rest in her lap, or the other way around. Their friends teased them about being a couple, but they never reacted to that. They were best friends and nothing would change that._

_The way he would hum as they walked or studied. He didn't know he was doing it, but it was a habit his sister Kinana said he always had. And both she and Lucy would know; Erik and Lucy had been best friends forever._

_Then came the day she told him she was going overseas for an ambassadorial course, an internship of sorts. He had been very quiet, and only said he hoped they would keep in touch. He had kissed her on the cheek before she flew out._

_She tried to keep in touch, and carried a torch for him in her heart for four years, but it seemed like he had forgotten._

_Her heart had broken then. Trying to forget him didn't work. Erik had been too much a part of her life to throw him off so easily._

Lucy was going to stop this wedding if it killed her. There was no way on this earth she was going to let her best friend and the only man she had ever loved slip out of her life without a fight.

* * *

By the time she got to the hall where the wedding was going to be held, it had already started. Lucy slipped in, hoping against hope that she was in time.

The hall was full. Thankfully, nobody noticed the sweaty, flushed blonde hiding in the curtains in the back. She spotted a few people she knew. Kinana's purple hair near the front, Erik's cousins and her friends Laxus, Rogue, Sting, Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel, Mirajane and her siblings, and so many of their old friends and classmates.

Then she saw him and the breath left her body.

His darkly tan, brooding, nearly scowling face. The long scar over his eye that she used to trace absently when he rested his head in her lap. His messy, spiky maroon hair that refused to stay down, no matter how much gel had been forced into it. He looked so good in his crisp black suit, her heart nearly burst at the sight.

As she studied his face, she realized something.

He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to get married.

But it seemed like he wasn't going to do anything. To her horror, the justice of the peace spoke.

"If anyone objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace."

This would be the perfect moment to speak, Lucy knew, despite how cliche it would be. But she couldn't move. She was frozen to the spot. Could she really do this? Could she step forward and possible ruin his life? Could she hurt her best friend, no matter how much she had been hurt by him?

Could she do it?

So lost in her thoughts was she, Lucy hadn't even noticed that she had stepped out of the curtains and was standing in plain sight at the back of the hall.

And he saw her.

_He saw her._

For the first time in four years, Lucy's brown eyes and Erik's single indigo eye met and held. How could she have forgotten what it was like to drown in the depths of his eyes? Those rich, purple eyes that had always enthralled her, even when they were kids.

When he said her name, the entire room was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

"Lucy."

He stepped away from the girl in the puffy, pastry-like dress, (most likely that Jenny Realight girl Levy had mentioned), and down the aisle toward her.

Unconsciously, she moved forward and met him halfway. They didn't touch; they just stood there staring at the ghosts from their pasts.

"Hey," Erik whispered.

"Hey," Lucy whispered back. She bit her lip, searching his face for any hint that he would take exception if she ruined his wedding.

"EXCUSE ME!" A shrill voice burst their little bubble of uber-awareness. The irate bride was standing with her hands on her hips, glowering down at Lucy and her clearly awestruck groom. Out of the corner of her eyes, Lucy could see Natsu and Kinana grinning at her, despite the fact they still seemed a bit stunned to see her.

Lucy suddenly wondered what they must think of her. She was still flushed from running, her hair was a mess, she wasn't wearing any makeup, and she was only wearing an old blue sundress that was faded and well-loved. She looked like a mess, but Erik didn't seem to object. If anything, he was looking at her as if she were the only woman in the room.

"I'm glad you came." His deep voice rumbled all the way down to her toes. "Though I'm curious how you found out."

"Oh, a little blue bird tipped me off. And I'm glad she did. I wouldn't have missed this for the world." Erik gave her the once over.

"I can tell. Be sure to tell your blue friend thank you, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do this." He took several steps forward, grabbed her by the arms, and pressed his mouth to hers. Gasps and cries whirled around them. Did they care?

No, they didn't.

When Erik and Lucy parted, he pressed his forehead to hers. "So I'm going to take this as you objecting?"

Lucy grinned at him, her hands cupping his cheeks. "Yeah, I'm speaking now."


	2. Chapter 2

"CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT IS GOING ON?"

Erik winced, covering his ears. What had he seen in Jenny Realight that had convinced him she would be a good life-mate? To be honest, it was all her family's fault. He had expressed a little bit of interest in the model and her family had blown it all out of proportion, practically forcing their engagement. But now…

Lucy was back.  _She was back._

Lucy hadn't met anyone's eyes since she and Erik had exchanged their rather earth-shattering kiss. Was she ashamed of what she had done?  _He_  didn't regret it a bit. In fact, it was probably the best moment of the past four years. It wasn't really like Lucy to crash a wedding, so she must have a really good reason. He was burning to know what it was. Erik wrapped an arm around the trembling blonde.

"Be quiet please, Jenny." The other blonde woman and her family gasped, the bride pulling back in shock and horror. But if Erik looked closely, she didn't actually seem upset. If anything, there was a knowing look in her eyes. She hadn't wanted to be there anymore than he had.

This was the only way to get out of a wedding neither wanted and he was  _more_  than willing to be the bad guy to her family.

* * *

 _When the justice of the peace said those rather fateful words, "If anyone objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace,", he had_ desperately _wished that someone would stop him. This was a mistake. Both of them knew it. Just make him_ stop _._

_Then he had seen her._

_When he saw her out of the corner of his left eye, it was like seeing a ghost. Was she real?_

_His Lucy had never seemed so flustered, so terrified yet determined. His Lucy had been put together, calm, and peaceful. And yet… This. This was the real Lucy. The shining star he had fallen head over heels in love with was back and stronger than ever._

* * *

"I'm sorry, Jenny. I can't do this." Erik looked down at the woman under his arm. A tentative smile touched her lips. It seemed like she was asking permission to be happy.

Jenny's snotty family began screaming protests that Erik ignored. From the left side, a golden headed man stood. Jenny's lips curved up as she reached her hands toward him. A laugh burst from both Hibiki and Jenny as they embraced, Hibiki pressing a kiss to Jenny's lips. The people attending the wedding felt as if their brains were melting. They thought they were attending the wedding of Erik Cobra and Jenny Realight, but it looks like that had changed.

Kinana caught her brother's eye and gestured with her head toward the door. Her meaning was clear;  _get Lucy out of here_. He flashed a grateful smile at her, and gently tugged Lucy's shoulders. She followed in a daze.

* * *

_He had tried to keep in touch with Lucy. He really had. It was just, well, every time he went to write to her or send her an email, the words had dried up. How was he supposed to tell her how much he missed her? That life was dull without her sparkling light?_

_How could he tell her he loved her in a letter when he couldn't even say it out loud the day she left?_

_She was his brightest light, his dearest friend. You're not supposed to fall in love with your best friend._

_He had._

_Did he regret it?_

_Sometimes._

_When she walked through his apartment in nothing but one of his oversized t-shirts she had stolen and refused to give back and her gym shorts._

_When he was watching her throw her head back and laugh at one of Levy's comments, her brown eyes sparkling._

_The day he lost his eye and woke up from surgery to find her sprawled across the end of his hospital bed, tear tracks dried on her too-pale face. The nurses told him later that she had refused to leave the hospital until he was out of surgery and pleaded to stay in the room with him._

_When she would fall asleep curled up against him after a long day of classes._

_It wasn't seeing her hurry toward him all dolled up for a night out at Fairy Tail with their friends that made Erik realize how deeply he had fallen in love with his best friend. It was on the 10th anniversary of her mother's death when she showed up on his doorstep in a rainstorm, dripping from head to toe, mascara running with raindrops and tears intermingled. She hadn't said a word and neither had he. He just opened his arms to his best girl and held her until her tears stopped._

_When she left for her diplomatic training, she had taken his heart with her. Was there a chance for them?_

_He really would never know._

* * *

Both were silent as they walked down the road, Lucy in her faded dress, Erik still in his suit. ( _No tuxes for him, thank you!_ ) They passed the coffee shop Lucy had sat with Levy, who was still there. She watched the couple pass with knowing eyes. Lucy had seized her last chance to be with the man she loved and it seemed she won the day.

The suffocating silence continued until they reached the park tucked away off Main Street. Out of sheer habit ( _even though neither had been to the park in almost five years_ ) Lucy made a beeline for the swings. Erik followed her a little more slowly. She settled on one and began swinging slowly. He had to physically restrain himself from going behind her and giving her a push like he used to. Instead, he stood in front of her, watching her swing back and forth. Not a word passed between the two former best friends.

Eventually, it was too much for him. He stepped forward and dropped into a crouch so he was looking up at her.

"Lucy, I'm sor-…" Erik began. He jolted backward as Lucy's hand came up and slapped across his face. "What the hell, woman?"

Lucy's face crumpled as tears streamed down her cheeks. Both hands covered her face. Lucy slipped off the swing, sank to the ground, and she sobbed.

He'd never been able to handle her tears. To be honest, they were his weakness. Laxus had used to joke that if Lucy ever wanted Erik to do anything, all she had to do was look at him and let her eyes fill. He'd move heaven and earth to make her happy.

"I…I'm so glad you didn't get married!" She wailed. His eye widened.  _What?_  "I don't know what I would have done if you had married her and I wasn't there to say something." Lucy's whole body shuddered. Moving on instinct alone, Erik's arms encircled her easily. Her familiar scent filled his nose as they clung to each other. "I can't lose you, Erik."

"I don't want to lose you, either, Lucy. I came so close to losing you for good because I didn't say anything." He was going to lay his heart on the line. If Lucy rejected him, then at least he had tried. It was better to love and lose than not even try and miss out. "But now I'm a free man. I don't know if you have any feelings left for me, it's been so long, I know. But if you want to give this a second chance…"

She froze in his arms. Slowly, oh so slowly, both of her slim hands reached up to cup his face. "'Feelings are connection'," she said quietly. "'They surpass time, and find their way back to the people you love.' Erik, letting you go didn't mean I don't love you. It just means I love you so much I want you to be happy. I thought…letting you go would would make you happy even if it hurt me." Erik sighed and pressed his forehead to hers.

"Looks like we were both wrong since I thought the same way."

Lucy chuckled wetly. "Yeah, we're a pair of idiots."

"Can we be a pair of idiots together?"

"…Yeah."


End file.
